ISLAMABAD, 24 February 2007 — Historic achievements by the current government on all fronts based on its transparent policies have attracted foreign investment to Pakistan, said Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz speaking yesterday to a Saudi media delegation.

Aziz referred to Saudi Arabia as a source of strength for Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah, which he pointed out is going through a lot of challenges.

“We look at (Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques) King Abdullah as the inspiration for the Muslim Ummah, for he is the one person who brings the whole Ummah together. Both countries have stood together and will continue to do so in the future,” said the premier, who added that his country is seeking the “influx of Saudi investment in Pakistan more than ever before.”

He lauded his country’s economic growth, saying the middle class is growing. Official estimates put Pakistan’s economic growth at between seven and eight percent this year. He said that Pakistan is regarded as one of the high growth countries in Asia and also one of the top 10 reformers in the world by a recent World Bank survey.

“Pakistan’s transformation is based on far-reaching reform in every field not just economic,” he said.

Aziz said President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has launched an initiative to bring together Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia and Jordan to seek solutions to some of the problems afflicting the region. The foreign ministers of these seven countries are meeting here tomorrow to discuss issues pertaining to Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Aziz called the effort “a historic beginning of the peace process that will affect the future of the Middle East.”

The prime minister said relations between India and Pakistan are gradually warming up. “We believe the destiny of South Asia can change by sustainable peace between India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Iran, the premier said his country opposes Iran having nuclear weapons. “Iran should not produce nuclear weapons. Pakistan is against that totally, completely and fully,” he said. “We are also saying that they can use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”

Pakistan is a nuclear power, although its nuclear arsenal is dwarfed by India’s. The Pakistani government’s stand on the Iranian nuclear standoff is that diplomacy should be used to resolve the matter and the use of force will be very dangerous for the region, he said.

In this context, the prime minister pointed out that Pakistan has borne the brunt of a destabilized Afghanistan. “It’s in our interest to have a strong, stable and vibrant Afghanistan,” he said, lauding his country’s efforts to repatriate an estimated three million Afghan refugees, whose camps in Pakistan are havens for extremism.

“They come here, recruit our people, and they recruit their own Afghans as well,” he said, and added that Pakistan has been trying to make it difficult for people to get into and out of the country through the porous Afghan-Pakistan border.

Aziz said extremists raise funds for their activities through international drug trade and that is why drug trafficking must be targeted as part of the global war on terrorism.

To resolve the problems in Afghanistan, Aziz said the international community should work to stabilize the country. To this end, he said Pakistan is supportive of the Afghan leadership. “We support the Afghan president,” he said. “The challenge in Afghanistan is to win the hearts and minds of the people for a better future, more development and peace.”

He said Pakistan is willing to help Afghanistan, “but at the same time they need to help themselves.”